Nocturia, which is a condition characterized by excessive urination at night, can be treated with the help of drug therapy. The following article provides information on its contributing factors and treatment options.
People affected by nocturia need to wake up several times at night to urinate. This causes disruption of sleep, which might cause the affected person to experience exhaustion and sleepiness during the day. This condition is more common in the elderly, but can also affect young people. Also, the condition can affect both men and women. However, the causes may differ. Under normal circumstances, the urine gets more concentrated, which allows a person to sleep for 6 – 7 hours at a stretch without having to get up to pass urine. However, in case of people affected by this condition, the bladder becomes too full, and this signals the brain to wake up.
Contributing Factors
In most cases, this condition might be caused by drinking too much of liquid before bedtime. Also, excessive intake of caffeinated drinks and alcohol can lead to this problem. In some cases, excessive urination at night might be a manifestation of an underlying medical condition such as:
- Bladder infection
- Congestive heart failure
- Diabetes
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Interstitial cystitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Kidney failure
- Kidney infection
- Prostate cancer
- Prostate gland enlargement
- Sleep apnea
- Urinary incontinence
In some cases, it has been observed that the use of diuretics and drugs prescribed for the treatment of bipolar disorder or cardiac problems, may also give rise to this condition. Frequent urination at night is also one of the common symptoms that occur in pregnancy, but resolves after delivery.
Treatment Options
There are several types of drugs that might be prescribed to patients. In case of affected people, the muscles that help expel urine from the body become overactive. The drugs that are prescribed help to correct the malfunctioning of these muscles. There are other drugs that work by increasing the bladder’s capacity to hold urine, or decreasing the number of contractions in the bladder.
If these drugs don’t help, doctors might prescribe medicines that help in decreasing the output of urine produced by the kidneys. What has to be known about these drugs is that they have a high tendency to cause severe side effects. Therefore, such drugs must only be taken as per the dosage and duration recommended by the doctor.
Making certain lifestyle-related changes would also help to a great extent. The patient is recommended to keep a log of how often does he have to get up at night, and the food items that seem to worsen the situation or increase the number of bathroom trips. In this way, he can identify situations that make nocturia worse. Patients are also advised to avoid taking excess of liquid late during the evening, and keep themselves from taking afternoon naps.
If your bathroom trips have increased during the night, it would be best to consult a doctor at the earliest. Even if the condition has been caused by non-serious factors, problems can arise if nocturia leads to fatigue and sleepiness during the day.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.
